Plantation Community: A status revisit

• by L. Vijayanathan 
• - on 06/03/2015

Disenfranchisement of the Indian Origin plantation workforce in the year 1948 after independence stalled the development of the ‘plantation community’ (PC) in contrast to other communities in the country. Memoirs and research papers on labour movement and Trade union struggle of Plantation workforce is not new and many have attempted to describe the disenfranchisement of the PC and its impact for years. Basic human needs were at a distant dream for many decades until it became an eventuality rather than addressed through a concerted efforts by way of Political power and development imperative. With democracy in existence in the country for a long time; how did the plantation community miss the fortunes of democracy and development to be on par with others in the country? This needs deliberations if not a palpable research. I have seen in the recent past writings in Tamil on various sector approach be it on the lines of local governance, access to provincial power and decision making, influence at the central level on the governance part and economic emancipation and social security on the other hand. However, little efforts have been on to inform the readers of English dailies so that ‘others’ would also know fully well the dilemmas of development realities of the PC.
Plantation Community A status revisit.odt by Thavam Ratna